Huxter Mills, Sandness, Shetland Isles, Scotland

sketchfab

A group of three standing horizontal water mills and the remnants of another are accompanied by associated mill streams, footbridges, and a dam. Water cascades from the dam at the Loch of Huxter over almost 300 meters to the sea, plummeting some 25 meters in height. The significant drop allowed for multiple mills to operate within a short distance. These ancient mills date back to the 19th century or earlier and were last used in the 1940s. Water is directed onto one side of a horizontal paddled water wheel, which connects to a single pair of millstones above through a shaft running directly through the floor of the mill house. While inefficient compared to vertical wheels, these horizontal mills were simple to build and maintain. Restoration work was conducted in the 1980s and 2009, greatly enhancing the site's appearance today. Grid Reference: HU 1726 5718. The site was captured using kite aerial photography techniques. Photographed: September 27, 2015. A digital model of the site was created in December 2015 utilizing Agisoft PhotoScan software.